Roman Astakhov
Guest of the OperaBiography
The Russian bass Roman Astakhov studied singing with Vladimir A. Matorin at the Russian Academy of Theatre Art and at the Galina Vishnevskaya Opera Centre in Moscow. While still a student he was already attracting attention in secondary bass roles at Moscow’s Helikon Opera and New Opera. In 2006, he sang the bass part in Berlioz’s L’Enfance du Christ in the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall and took the role of Alvise Badoero in concert performances of Ponchielli’s La Gioconda at the Moscow Conservatory. Further afield, he was heard as Alexey in Prokofiev’s The Gambler at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. He has also given solo recitals at the Royal Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool as well as in Germany, Austria and Russia. He made his debut at the National Theatre in Prague as Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore (Nov. 19, 2010).
From 2008 to 2011 Roman Astakhov was a member of the Leipzig Opera, where his roles included Basilio (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), Colline (La bohème), Raimondo (Rienzi) and the King of Clubs/Cook (The Love for Three Oranges). In July 2011 he made his debut at the Aalto Theatre in Essen as Dulcamara and was its permanent member till 2013. His roles in Essen included Daland (Der fliegende Holländer), the Landgrave (Tannhäuser), Titurel (Parsifal), Sarastro, Osmin (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Gremin (Eugene Onegin) and Truffaldino (Ariadne auf Naxos). He has guest appeared as Basilio in the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf, Stefano Colonna (Rienzi) at the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, Hans Foltz (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) at the Salzburg Festival (2013) and at the Opéra National de Paris, Don Magnifico (La Cenerentola) and Claudius (Hamlet) at the Theater Bielefeld, Hermit (Der Freischütz) and Dikoy (Katya Kabanova) at the Saarländischen Staatstheater in Saarbrücken. His engagements in the 2017/2018 season include Boris (Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District) at the Theater Bremen and Dansker (Billy Budd) at the Prague National Theatre.
2017/2018 season